Moustache Wax | Kilted Craft Works

After my first round of moustache wax creation I had a lot of testing ahead of me. Some batches were way too thin, and some had odd smells. The table below is my conclusion from round 1.

For starters I am going to nix the shea butter, but keep the cocoa butter. The shea smells kind of funny to me and makes the wax very soft. The cocoa smells good, though it is hard to tell if has any other beneficial effects. The vanilla did not mix well or add anything. Even the best batch had too little hold in my opinion, so the next round is going to need more bees wax for stiffness. Take number 4 and increase wax!

In addition to playing with the amount of bees wax I decided to try petroleum jelly as an alternative to the cocoanut oil. Many of the recipes I read about used it. Here is the list of things I will try in round 2.

I used the same procedure as last time, measure out ingredients with a scale, then combine in a small double boiler using a glass measuring cup as the inner pot. It makes pouring easier! Everything went well, and my new pile of candidates look great!

I have lived with these for about two weeks now. My main conclusion is that the petroleum jelly isn’t as good as cocoanut oil. It doesn’t spread or hold as well. Right now I am leaning heavily towards number 7. 8 might have slightly better hold, but is much harder to work in. 9 is way too hard. I may try mixing 7 and 8 to see what an in-between looks like. Til then I have ordered containers and more wax to make a big batch for the long haul.

I entered into a beard off with a co-worker earlier this year. We both stopped shaving at the beginning of August, and will not do so again until sometime in December. We had an agreement that small trimming could be done for cleanliness. I don’t like my moustache getting into my mouth, or tickling my upper lip. One option would be to trim, but figured why not train it! So I picked up a tiny comb and some moustache wax. This is where my problems set in.

I have tried a hand full of different waxes available online, because I can’t find any in town. All with the exception of one smelled so bad I couldn’t bring myself to apply them. These things sit right under your nose for goodness sake! Many of them are quite pricey too. 10-15 bucks for on ounce or two. That is rich considering it is mostly bees wax. How about I make my own?

I did some reading and found a whole host of recipes out there with a lot of different ingredients. EXPERIMENT TIME!!! Bees wax on its own is too hard to use, so oils are added to soften. I used the following ingredients: Bees Wax, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Cocoanut Oil, and Vanilla Extract. The ratios for the first 6 batches are:

Everything was measured out with a scale and combined in a double boiler. I went through the week using one each day and recorded my thoughts.

Way too thin and easy to spread. Not enough hold for my course stache.
Decent consistency and hold. No bad smells. This one has potential.
Too little hold and the Shea doesn’t smell good in my opinion.
Not enough hold for my liking, but the smell was light and pleasant. With more wax, this could be a good one.
Practically melted off my fingers. No go!
The vanilla extract didn’t mix well. Oil and alcohol. Anything I add should be oil based if I want to influence the smell.

In all it was a good round. If nothing else, number 2 is probably an acceptable substitute for my previously preferred wax, and at a tiny fraction of the cost! I kind of liked the cocoa butter additive. My next round will be variation on that version with more wax. I might try a round with petroleum jelly instead of cocoanut oil. That seems to be a popular alternative to the cocoanut oil. Until next time, let it grow!